Ava Arpaio, the wife of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, died on Saturday. She was 89. 

Joe Arpaio confirmed her death with The Arizona Republic on Sunday evening. He said Ava Arpaio died in the hospital of complications of cancer around 3:30 p.m. Saturday and that she was surrounded by family. 

She is survived by her husband, Joe, daughter, Sherry, son, Rocco, and four grandchildren. 

“One thing I want people to know is she was the love of my life and she always supported and defended me in my 57 years in law enforcement and one thing she always did that she made sure that our two children and I were always happy,” Arpaio said on Sunday.

Joe said former President Donald Trump called him Sunday to offer condolences. 

Ava Arpaio, born Ava Jeroldene Lamb, retained her southern accent and sweetness of speech decades after moving from her native Rockingham County, Virginia.  

While Joe served six terms as “America’s Toughest sheriff,” ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress and spent decades in the media spotlight, Ava stayed primarily out of the public eye, a quiet, gentle woman who stood in solidarity with her often-controversial husband.  

More than 60 years of marriage 

The Arpaios’ 63-year marriage was one of Joe’s favorite lines when touting his personal achievements.  

Ava met Joe as a young woman when she moved to Washington D.C. to look for a job. Joe was working as a D.C. police officer.  

They married a year later in a Catholic church in Mexico City. 

After Joe began working for the Bureau of Narcotics, which later became the Drug Enforcement Administration, the couple moved 14 times in 28 years, living in Illinois, Turkey, Maryland, Mexico, Massachusetts, Texas and finally Arizona.  

Ava pursued a lifelong dream to attend beauty school after the couple moved to Chicago. While Joe had encouraged her to start school, working full-time at a salon wasn’t an option. 

Joe wanted her home — it was an Italian thing, she would say — so the couple compromised with her working three days a week until she got pregnant.  

Raising two kids 

Ava and Joe raised two children. The couple’s first child, a son named Rocco, was born in Chicago. Their daughter, Sherry, was born in San Antonio. 

Joe logged long hours in law enforcement but was a different person at home. Ava told The Arizona Republic a few years into his 24-year tenure as Maricopa County sheriff that he was a softy with the kids at home. She was the enforcer.  

“I learned how to be a mother and father to the children in his absence,” she told The Arizona Republic in a 1997 interview. “When Mom pulled her glasses down, they knew I meant business.” 

Throughout Joe’s 32 years of government service with the DEA and, later, as Maricopa County sheriff, where he became famed for his tough-on-inmate tactics and targeting undocumented individuals, Ava never wavered in her devotion to her often-polarizing husband.  

When asked about her husband’s famed requirement that inmates wear pink underwear in an attempt to deter them from stealing the clothing, she told The Arizona Republic in 1997 that it was “marvelous.” 

A career in the travel industry 

Ava’s hospitable nature later translated to a career in the travel industry. When the Arpaios moved to the Phoenix area in 1978, Ava founded Starworld Travel Agency in Scottsdale.  

The couple ran the business together for eight years before Joe took office as Maricopa County sheriff following the 1992 defeat of Sheriff Tom Agnos.   

Ava continued to run Starworld until they moved to Fountain Hills, at which point their son took it over about 18 years ago, Joe Arpaio said on Sunday. 

Recent health issues 

Ava was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. Joe announced in 2018 that she was in complete remission.  

“She’s been with me, always with me, beside me, when I’ve run for office eight times. So she’s with me now, we’re going to go forward,” Joe told The Arizona Republic after making the announcement on Facebook.  

Ava garnered media attention again after she was bit by a rattlesnake at the couple’s Fountain Hills home in March 2019.  

“She’s tough. If she can put up with me for 60 years, then she can handle a snake bite,” Joe told The Arizona Republic. 

Ava had cancer again that spread all over her body, Joe said Sunday. She was in the hospital for two weeks and at one point was on a ventilator, he said, although he confirmed she had not had COVID-19. 

“The family and myself talked to her because I’m sure could listen, and she’s a devout catholic so I’m sure she was listening and I’m sure she will be in heaven,” Joe said. 

Joe said he would be putting out a statement with more information on Monday. 

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Sunday that it “sends heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Ava Arpaio after she lost her battle with cancer earlier today. May she Rest In Peace. Our sincerest condolences to former Sheriff Joe Arpaio.”

Republic editor Kaila White contributed to this article.

Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale-breaking/2021/03/21/ava-arpaio-wife-former-maricopa-county-sheriff-joe-arpaio-dies/4794843001/